Chris Meloni, star of Law & Order: Organized Crime, got a little cheeky when bringing up the internet’s obsession with his backside.
Meloni, 60, became an online spectacle after on-set photos of his shapely bottom went viral in the spring. Speaking Wednesday with Men’s Health, the actor admitted he’s likes his newfound sex symbol status and laughed, “How much am I allowed to taste of this fruit? How much am I allowed to enjoy this?”
He also reveled in the fact that he’s on the magazine’s cover, and confessed, “The aspect of age comes into play… and how I feel about it. A friend of mine said, ‘Did you ever think in a million years you’d be on the cover of Men’s Health?’ I said, ‘Certainly not at age 60.'”
Meloni also addressed why he walked away from Law & Order: SVU a decade ago, bluntly revealing it was over a salary dispute.
“[NBC] literally came to me on a Thursday night and said, ‘This is the deal. We want the answer by tomorrow. It’s our way or no way,” the Emmy nominee explained, adding that he refused to compromise and responded, “This is what I want. If you can’t do it, that’s fine. Let’s figure out my exit.”
Meloni then explained why he returned to the franchise, saying showrunner Dick Wolf wanted him to come back “since the day he left.” The actor said he heard Wolf’s pitch for Law & Order: Organized Crime — a series about his character, Elliot Stabler — and agreed to return to NBC.
He added that he is “not stressed” about the success of the series, which was renewed for a second season, saying his mentality this time around is “just ride. Just do, just be.”
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